Kate 'didn't rate Prince William at first'

The Duchess of Cambridge wasn't interested in Prince William at first, according to friends.

Although they later found love and married last year, Duchess Catherine - then known as Kate Middleton - wasn't bowled over by the handsome young prince when she found out they were to attend the same university, St Andrews, in Scotland.

A friend, who studied with the Duchess in Florence in 2000, before she went to study, told OK! magazine: "The only time I even remember talking about William was when we found out he was coming to study in Florence, we would speculate about hanging out with him, but to be honest she never showed any interest in him or talked about him that much."

The friend added the Duchess was more interested in another boy at the time, and that she had only enrolled in the same university as the Prince by coincidence.

The source added: "She certainly wasn't going to St. Andrews with the intention to snare him or anything like that.

In fact she was more hung up on a guy called Harry, but things didn't work out."

The friend also told how Duchess Catherine was very popular when she was in Italy, and frequently chased by barmen and waiters.

They added: "Italian men can be quite persuasive, but Catherine would never overreact to compliments. She definitely was not a giggly sort of girl batting her eyelashes."